Writing in other voices is almost Japanese in the sense that theres a certain formality there which allows me to sidestep the embarrassment of directly expressing to complete strangers the most intimate details of my life.

It takes as much discipline to be a mother and a wife as it does to do anything else.

Kindness to me is only powerful if it has the cruel streak behind it. If someone is kind all the time under all circumstances, they're just simple-minded. Kindness is only worth something if you have the cruel streak to back it up.

Don't make a threat and then not do it.

My intellect has always been more responsible than my emotions for how I respond to the world.

When I was pregnant, I felt filled with life, and I felt really happy. I ate well, and I slept well. I felt much more useful than I'd ever felt before.

It's striking how commercially viable that impulse for instant intimacy is right now, especially in songs and writing.